Long Time Coming Quotes

“What I'd like more than anything," he said quietly, "is for you to listen to an apology."
"You have nothing to apologize for."
"I'm afraid I do." He let out a measured breath. "But first, I have something to give you."
He went to a cabinet in a corner of the room and rummaged through its contents. Finding the object he sought... a small book... he brought it to her.
Phoebe blinked in wonder as she read the gold and black lettering on the battered cloth cover. The title was worn and faded, but still legible.

Stephen Armstrong: Treasure Hunter

Opening the book with unsteady fingers, she found the words written on the inside cover in her own childish hand, long ago.

Dear Henry, whenever you feel alone, look for the kisses I left for you on my favorite pages.

Blinded by a hot, stinging blur, Phoebe closed the book. Even without looking, she knew there were tiny x's in the margins of several chapters.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Devil's Daughter

“If you've turned up after all these years just to break Tita Rosie's heart again, I'll kill you. I'm serious. And Ate Bernie will help me hide the body," I said, bringing up his ex-girlfriend and my cousin/friend.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Blackmail and Bibingka

“He wanted to touch her everywhere, taste her, hear her respond to his hands, mouth, body. Screw Christmas, she would be his new holiday; worshiping her would be the event that his life would now revolve around. Making her happy, making her life complete, making her breathe catch and her muscles tighten, then relax. Over the last fifteen years, he had thought about this moment so many times, envisioning how her skin would feel, the sounds she would make as his fingers discovered a new sensitive spot. But the reality was so much better--- and he already sensed he would never have enough time to satisfy all the ways he wanted this woman.”
― Amy E. Reichert, Once Upon a December

“It took one long week for the fairies to track down every boy who had been turned into a donkey, and Mirabella and Agata personally sought out the Coachman, Honest John, Gideon, and Stromboli, and other servants of the Heartless and ensured that the villains were taught just lessons for their evil behavior. Stromboli, for instance, was plagued with nightmares that his puppets came to life and attacked him, and Honest John and Gideon dreamt that they drowned in piles of golden coins.
But for the Coachman, who was so evil that no lesson would redeem him, Ilaria used the last of her Heartless magic and turned him into a donkey. In the pastures of Pariva, he spent the rest of his days gnawing on hay and grass and braying unpleasantly whenever young boys laughed at his smell.”
― Elizabeth Lim, When You Wish Upon a Star

“Dad didn't hate weddings," Mae said.
Her mom's brow creased. "Yes, he did," she said with a chuckle. "He was always going on about how he could go the rest of his life without hearing the wedding march ever again."
"No, he didn't," Mae said more firmly. She set her fork down. "He hated going to your family's weddings. Because it meant being around a bunch of white people who were just subtle enough to keep their racism discreet."
That did it. Susan froze. John took a long drink from his wineglass. Connor's gaze steadied on Mae, a haze of uncertainty in his eyes. Madison jerked her head back. Sierra watched her, looking vaguely curious. Her mom stared, mouth open.
"It was inevitable," Mae continued. "Whenever we had to be around the Parkers. Someone would always say something borderline. Dad and I would exchange a look, like, Here we go. Every wedding, every Christmas, every Thanksgiving, every Easter, we would sit across from each other at a table full of white people and share our silent little looks."
Her face was burning. Every pair of eyes at the table was laser-focused on her. Even Jayla, sitting one table over with the wedding party, was staring. Mae's mom opened her mouth, which just reminded Mae she had more to say.
"I wish you'd told me about grandma being racist to Althea."
It was mortifying, spilling her guts in front of her in-laws, but it was freeing, too. Like she was invincible. Like even though she was about to wreck her entire life, at least no one could stop her. You couldn't stop a hurricane.
"You said you didn't want me to feel different around her, but, Mom, I already did. And I wish you'd told me I had a sister. Do you know how much less alone I would have felt, knowing Sierra was my sister? Being around family that looked like me? Instead of a grandpa who said the n-word in front of me when I was eight? Or my husband's mom asking me how dark my skin gets in the sun?" Susan paled. "Or a cousin who--- you know what, Madison," Mae said, catching her eye across the table, "it is racist to say you refuse to shop at Black-owned businesses, and I shouldn't have defended you when Sierra called you on it." Madison's cheeks reddened, and she looked like she was going to object, but Mae wasn't done. "Is it any wonder that I would drive to Hobson and sacrifice so much to stay there, burning through all my PTO, giving up my entire honeymoon, because I finally had a family that didn't make me feel out of place?”
― Shauna Robinson, The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster

“The night grew warmer as he looked into her eyes the way she'd wanted him to the last time they'd parted.”
― Stephanie Garber, Finale